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Friday was a disappointment against the rebuilding of Thunder at the Garden. Sunday was just an old-fashioned home beat against the title-contending Nuggets.
The Knicks’ big start loses its luster as Tom Thibodeau’s team were beaten, 114-89. After winning five of six games, the Knicks have lost two in a row to drop to .500 at 5-5. They have scored 89 points in each of the last two outings.
“We didn’t play well overall,” said Thibodeau. “Some nights you’re going to shoot it better than others. When you’re not defending and shooting well, there is virtually no chance of winning. We must therefore rely on our intensity, our defense. There is nothing that we are doing right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change it.
Only Julius Randle showed up – a one-man show in loss as he rushed for 29 points, hitting 11 of 16 shots. Otherwise, the Knicks’ offense was in shambles as they shot 40% in the first half when the game was decided.
“We need to regain our confidence and our boast,” said Randle. “We need to step up our fight and our energy to give ourselves a chance to win. ”
Denver superstar’s big man Nikola Jokic didn’t sweat, registering 22 points on 9 of 15 shots with 10 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who rarely gives credit to his opponents, felt he did as well as he could against the imposing Serbian who entered on average with a triple-double. Robinson scored 11 points on 5 of 5 shots. In 34 minutes, he did not commit a fault.
“I feel like I’ve done really well,” said Robinson. “He made some tough shots. It wasn’t like a walk in the park. He took a hard hit. It happens. I feel like I did a good job. I had no fault. ”
When asked how difficult it is to keep Jokic, Mitchell replied, “Not difficult at all.”
Ahead of the game, Thibodeau said the Knicks did not “come with a big advantage” against Oklahoma City and that the club “let their guard down.”
The Knicks coach was still not happy with the fuss, but the talent gap was also noticeable as the Nuggets, who have a deceptive 5-5 record, pierced 15 of 35 3-pointers. The Knicks couldn’t shoot free throws either, getting 19 of 25.
It was a second straight brutal performance from RJ Barrett, who was 4 of 13 for nine points and three turnovers.
“As long as it’s the right shots and he shoots well, that’s all you’re looking at,” Thibodeau said. “Before you look at the result, you look at the mechanics and if he shoots well, it’s a good follow-up. Is this his shot? ”
The Knicks will play Charlotte on Monday and face rookie point guard LaMelo Ball, who just won their first career triple-double.
As Thibodeau noted, the Knicks have been overtaken. Early in the third quarter, Gary Harris edged out the Knicks for an offensive rebound, catching him in the middle of three Knicks.
Early in the first quarter, Harris broke free from the left wing and jumped in for a right handed tomahawk jam. The Nuggets bench erupted so loudly that their howl could be heard from the Chase Bridge where some media is posted near the garden ceiling.
With 2:07 left in the half, during a timeout a Knicks PR staff member crossed the field to distribute the scores from the brass box of the team seated 10 feet behind the touchline where once found the row of celebrities.
President Leon Rose, Senior Vice President William Wesley, GM Scott Perry and Assistant GM Allan Houston examined the depressing sheet of paper that had the Knicks behind 52-34 and the team shooting 38.9 percent .
Take Randle’s 7 out of 10 shots out, the rest of his Knicks were only 7 out of 26 at that time.
“Some nights there are going to be tough nights, but you can still win when you’re not shooting well,” said Thibodeau. “Being mentally tough when you go through adversity is one of the most important things there is. Not just in basketball, in life. Sometimes things are good, sometimes not. When not, you must have the tenacity and the ability to overcome these obstacles.
For the second game in a row, rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley provided no spark as the teams adjusted to his electric play. In one streak, Jokic was sent to pass him and the rookie attempted to escape, pushing for an offensive foul.
After a timeout, Thibodeau made a point to speak to Quickley before entering the clique. Quickley was 0 for 4 in 13 minutes, finishing with four points.
During extended garbage time, Thibodeau played Dennis Smith Jr., returning from injury, against Quickley in the closing minutes.
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